To buy a hot tub?

[SaltnPeppaPig]

Milestone birthday this year, but a young baby plus slightly older toddler DCs mean a lot of the things I'd do if child free are tricky or not possible.

I absolutely love hot tubs/jacuzzis in spas so was looking to hire one as logistically it seems easier to be able to pop in and out if breastfed baby needs feeding rather than feeling I only have a limited time in a spa and then have to get back to baby.

But the price to hire for a couple of nights is about £300 and I could buy one for not much more. I know I'd have to buy cleaning stuff etc on top but it would be nice to have it permanently possibly, although my garden isn't huge. I do have a conservatory/garage to store it if needed in the winter.

I know everyone went mad buying them in lockdown - did people get much use out of them? Is it worth paying the extra to buy one?

For the record, I bet much doubt I'll be inviting friends over to use it, so will really just be me reading a book in there during the evening so no concerns for neighbours!

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Anything that becomes financially accessible to people who aren't rich is eventually seen as "chavvy". It's almost like rich people are disgusted that "POOR PEOPLE TOOK OUR STUFF". Gross

I have a 6 seater hard shell type
cost about 8k last summer plus 1k to crane it in
We use it most days but rarely after 8pm in to be considerate to our neighbors who we get on with

cost about £35 -£40 a week on top of my regular electric so £70 a week is the max in the winter
in the summer it will drop to around £50 -£55 in total
It’s on permanently and set at 39 degrees
we shower before we get in. And we don’t have any guests in it just me and dh

we have a pergola with a Perspex tinted roof attached to the house so no one can see us in the tub

I loved mine until the energy price rise. I had it on all the time and would go in during the day to sunbathe and read a book. Then again at night with XP when we’d sit and chat, cuddle up etc (no nookie, as kids were inside, but it was nice to hang out together in it looking at the stars).

I’d 100% have it up and running again if it didn’t cost so much to run. I justified £30-40 a month as being the same as my gym membership, which I’d cancelled as I only ever went to use their hot tub! But then it went up a lot and I couldn’t afford to run it anymore. I miss it so much. Many happy hours spent out there

Oh and I asked my neighbours if they could hear it or the smell of chlorine was a problem and they both said they hadn’t noticed it at all, and that I should just enjoy it.

You’re brave OP! Hot tubs especially inflatable ones are a total crime according to MN, they are only for swingers, neighbour haters, human soup creators etc.

We have an inflatable hot hub, we aren’t swingers, love our neighbours, but in a good way! Pretty clean. So I say go for it. Just be aware they are very heavy on electric.

Big downside is plug them in absolute power hungry

I had one last summer (my new lodger came with a hot tub). It took the whole summer for the novelty to wear off. So for the £300 hire you'd not be wasting money.
Running costs by Sept were £10 a day. Be careful of any running cost guidelines you find online - they often base it on v low usage 20 mins twice a week.

Honesty, if you're going to get one you need to get an expensive one or hard hell I think.

I had a cheap inflatable £300 job- heating element broke within the first 3 months, got fed up of the company endlessly putting me on waiting lists to repair it and got a private person out which cost £400+ (part and labour)
Worked for a couple of months and then the bubbles stopped working. Battled with the company and eventually they gave me a full refund. It used at least £20 a day in electric to "sit".

Chemical balance is fairly easy to maintain once you get the hang of it and I definitely would agree with the chlorine tablet disperser (floating thing).

The novelty wore off very quickly and there's no way I could run one now with the electric prices.
I got a hammock after and that's much better!!!!!!!

even with only you in it it’s noisy so consider neighbours if you have them close by. Why not use the money for hiring to go away to a cottage / cabin with a hot tub - would feel like more of a treat

If you're happy to have your immediate neighbours hate you for having a 'chavvy sex pond' ( as per MN) then go ahead!
But please don't let squealing children treat it as a plunge pool at 1am ( have this throughout summer and we are actually looking to leave !)

PS.. they also have a Tiki bar and put speakers out in the garden!

We got a rigid one but it's moveable so we put it away in the winter. Kids absolutely love it in the summer basically to play in. I think I get in twice a year 😆

The running costs are ridiculous over £2k per year for hard shell if used daily & for those people just putting it on at weekends don’t you have to heat the whole body of water each time that’s expensive too?

Honestly don't bother, I get awful sea sickness and every time I get in it, I'm ill...(possibly due to the fact I only can be bothered if I've had a wine) Its now turned off as was a phasing novelty

Do get one, with a shed bar and loads of outdoor lights. Maybe add windchimes and a PA system too. Don't forget the fire pit, and outdoor kitchen.

I hire one at Christmas most years. With what I've spent on hires, I could probably have bought one twice over. But for me, it's worth it not to have the inconvenience of owning. I can put up with the damp towels and wet footprints for a few days (my kids love it). But it would drive me doolally if I had it all the time. Plus, there's the bills.

Hi @SaltnPeppaPig thanks for your thread! If you do decide to get a hot tub, you might like to take a look at our round-up of Mumsnetters' best hot tubs to help you choose. If you have any thoughts or feedback on the article, let us know🙂